People Share The Best Questions To Ask On A First Date

First dates are tricky. Unless you've known the person for a long time, this is your initial opportunity to get to know someone else on a personal, potentially-romantic level. What do you say? What can you ask? What do you do with your hands? How much wine is too much wine? These are all great inquiries to pose to yourself, but, what should you say to the other person?

Let's learn.


Reddit user, u/throwawayanyday101, wanted to know about:

What are some interesting questions to ask on a 1st date?

A Beautiful Start

season 3 homer GIFGiphy

Absolutely swear by it.. "what's your favorite dinosaur?" shatters the ice with someone that has a sense of humor. If it doesn't the person has a chip on their shoulder and cautious with the advance. May be a trap.

Willowsmsn

I remember asking a girl her favorite animal, and she said she hated animals so maybe dinosaurs because they're all dead. Completely serious.

Sometimes you can find red flags real quick with these questions.

Orange_Kid

Not A Journey You Want To Start With Someone

I drew her a picture of Professor Oak, three Pokéballs, and Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. I asked her which one she liked. All she said was that it was a super-cute picture. She had no idea what Professor Oak, Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle were.

That should have been a giant red flag, but of course I missed it.

MeridasAngel

Tyrannosaurus!

Who is your favorite Power Ranger and why is [it] the Red Ranger?

Sounds super dumb but I like it because I can tell a lot of things based on her reactions.

Ethan920713

Own Up To What's Happened Before.

If past relationships come up, instead of asking what their ex did wrong (which I'm sure they will cover), ask them how they think they could have handled the situation better and how they've grown from the experience. If they have trouble coming up with an answer, that's a red flag; you want a partner that is willing to admit when they f-cked up, and is willing to admit to their faults (past and present) and knows how they have/are working on them.

I learnt this from a guy I dated for a short time recently. He refused to admit any blame for anything that went wrong in the short time we spent together. This could've been predicted by the fact that he blamed his ex's for everything that contributed to the end of their relationship.

DaniliniHD

What Kind Of Fun Are We Really Talking?

what's the most fun you've had for free?

What's the most expensive fun you've had?

When's the last time you peed your pants?

Would you be willing to do it again?

sunflower_lecithin

Start With Questions, Then Follow

More important than having interesting questions pre-loaded is just asking follow up questions to things they talk about and showing curiosity in everyday aspects of their life.

With the "ice breaker" questions being thrown out in this thread, I think they can be fun if it's clear you realize you're being kind of silly by asking them. But very earnestly asking a date some random ice breaker question can give off an interview vibe.

Orange_Kid

More Importantly, Where Did You Find Those Coconuts?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

MichaelOChE

african or european?

benj-NH2

Just Be Clear On This Last Part

What do you fantasize about regularly that doesn't involve sex?

MountainMarket

Another Home Run

"What's your favorite quote?" Answers range from an inspirational mantra, some kinda pop culture reference, a line from an obscure song, and on and on. Can tell you a lot about a person by how they respond.

IDKHow2UseThisApp

But what if she says "live, laugh, love"?

That's a red flag if I've ever seen one

TheSoviet-Union

This'll Weed People Out Really Easily.

the simpsons wizard GIFGiphy

Do you prefer 5e Fighters to optimize a heavy weapon, Strength build or a lighter weapon Dexterity build? Do you see Charisma as a dump stat or do you find it useful for social skill challenges?

LinustheFriendlyBear

Jane, From Tarzan, Obviously

If you were a disney princess, which one would you be?

ashley_the_otter

Finding Where The Passions Lie

What are you passionate about?

I like this because I think it's beautiful getting to see someone light up while they talk about the thing that means the most to them. Even better if it's something you feel similarly towards because it's a great thing to bond over. It also breaks the ice. I know when I start talking about my passion, I could go on forever. Before you know it you're comfortable and the rest of the date is smooth, not awkward, and you finish the night feeling closer to that person because the conversation after feels natural rather than forced.

It's also nice to be able to weed out the people who aren't going to care enough to listen or who can't carry on a conversation. I've had people nod along and they had no idea what I said and I've had people who were engaged in the conversation and truly cared about my words.

ClrxHpy

When It Makes Sense In Your Mind

My wife told me she went on a date once—a blind date, as I recall—and the guy asked her if she could be any rock star, which one would she be. She thought is was so silly and apparently the date didn't go well for other reasons. Honestly, I sort of felt bad for the guy. When she told me that, I thought, geez, that sounds like something I'd ask on a first date.

shugerbooger

Let's Find Out Right Away

Is there anyone in your life right now that would be upset if they found out we were on this date right now?

RosemarysFetus

Anywhere In Time And Space...Where Do You Want To Go?

If you could travel anywhere and to any time just to witness/experience one event, what would it be?

It's a cool ice breaker to use in general, not just on dates but also in group settings.

sai_gunslinger

What Burns In Your Heart?

What's your passions? If someone asked me this, I'd end up talking about things I like, and if I'm talking about things I like, I'd likely have a positive association with the company who took interest. Plus it lets you know whether they geek out over things you find interesting, intriguing, or downright horrifying.

grrargg

A True Peek Into Their Digital Soul

Ask them what their phone background is, it's a good way to find out what's important to them

HanBanHamBam

Swing For The Fences

So... got any life regrets?

- my barber, the first time I ever visited him

I_hate_traveling

Sometimes, It's Not As Hard As You Might Think

Homer Simpson Fox GIF by Animation DominationGiphy

Every first date I've had that's gone well, I didn't have to have a prompt of questions. Conversation just flowed naturally. As someone on the spectrum, it's incredibly rare for that to happen.

But, as a safety measure, never hurts to ask about jobs, pets, where they grew up, social security numbers, dates of birth...(might want to just stick with the first three, actually).

qwasymoto

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